Please follow along to the periodic highlights from the Mobile City Council meeting. The council has its pre-meeting at 9 a.m. followed up with a 10:30 a.m. regular meeting.

11:20 a.m. Councilwoman Bess Rich explained the situation with Green In a Bottle, saying the confusion happened once Greenie took over paper recycling but no longer did it as a free service. She said The Newark Group once did it as a complimentary service, with no city contract.

11:16 a.m. Richardson said he will be absent during next week's council meeting. He will be in Washington, D.C., for the Obama inauguration.

11:06 a.m. Councilwoman Gina Gregory echoed Williams' concerns about Greenie In A Bottle, saying more information would be welcomed by citizens.

11:02 a.m. Councilman John Williams said he wants the mayor's administration to provide an update on what citizens can do regarding recycling issues since Greenie In A Bottle took over the operation in December. He said there is a lot of anxiety with residents who are getting bills on stuff they have not contracted for.

10:56 a.m. Councilman John Williams is the council's representative to the city's planning commission. There hasn't been a council representative to that commission in years, but Williams volunteered his services.

10:53 a.m. Carnell Davis, a resident of Mobile who has been critical of the city's redistricting, requested the council to re-vote on the proposed political map next week and forward those results to the U.S. Department of Justice. Council President Reggie Copeland said the map has already been forwarded to the Justice Department, and "that's our final answer."

10:44 a.m. The governor's 9th annual Blue Star Salute could be held in Mobile. It would take place May 18. The previous eight years, the event has been held in central Alabama.

10:34 a.m. Council meeting has started.

9:33 a.m. Copeland said McCarron will be honored with the key during the 10:30 a.m. portion of the council meeting on Jan. 31.

9:27 a.m. Mayor Sam Jones confirmed that A.J. McCarron, the quarterback for the 2013 BCS National Champions Alabama, will be at the City Council meeting on Jan. 31. He will be honored with a key to the city. The mayor said that it was too problematic for him to be at the Senior Bowl, since NCAA rules are restrictive on who McCarron can speak with.

9:22 a.m. Councilman John Williams asked why Ford vehicles were not included in a bid for new police cars. Mayor Sam Jones told him that Chevrolet and Dodge are the only two who make police cars up to specification.

9:17 a.m. With little discussion, it appears the city will approve an
approximately $30,000 expenditure to lease out over 200 portable toilets
during Mardi Gras. Council President Reggie Copeland called it a low
cost for the rental.

9:12 a.m. City Engineer Nick Amberger gave an overview of the McGregor Avenue project, which will get an extension until 2015. The project is aimed at adding a right turn lane, and the council was informed that they will expend 100 percent of the money for the project. The state, through the federal government, will reimburse the city to where about 20 percent of the project will be paid for by the city.